Improvement in military accouterments



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

vii/01.11 212. MILITARY ACCOUTREMENTS.

Patented Sept. 26, 1878.

N4 PETERS. PNOTO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASI HNGTON. D. C.

- 3 Sheets-Sheet z. W. 8-. OLIVER. MILITARY ACCOUTREMEN'TS; N0, 182,695, Patented Sept. 26,1876.

Fqyd Q X n av /Z351".

N.PETERS, PHOTO-UTHOGRNFHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

3 Sheets- 311a at 8.

W. S. OLIVER. MILITARY ACCOUTREMEN-TS.

Patented Sept. 26, 1875.

f: s a: I

No.18Z, 695.

MFETERS, PHOTQ LJTHOGRAFNER WASHINGTON. E) C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM SILVER OLIVER, OF BRITISH ARMY.

IMPROVEMENT IN MILITARY ACCOUTERMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 182,695, dated September 26, 1876; application filed September 4, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM SILVER 0L- IVER, M. 'D., Surgeon Major of the 60th Rifles, British Army, now stationed at Halifax, Nova Scotia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Military Accouterments, of which the following is a specification:

The accouterments in which my invention is comprised are composed of two braces the magazine-brace and the kit-brace; two bags--the magazine-bag and the kit-bag; a magazine-pouch, a canteen, a coat yoke, a mess can, and a \vaist-beltand frog.

The device termed magazinebrace is adapted for cavalry use; and when so used is provided with a cavalry cartridge-holder.

The more prominent portions of the accouterments are the two braces and the two bags.

My improved accouterments enable the soldier to carry his. kit, a large amount (as much,

as two hundred rounds) of ammunition, his days rations of water and food, a canteen, a water-proof sheet, and great-coat. At the same time they dispense with necessity of in which the same is or may be carried into effect will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, which I shall now proceed to describe.

All the straps and braces of which accouierments are composed are to be made of good bridleleather, thinned down, where necessary, for the small straps; and to be of moderate thickness forthe two principal ones, viz., the

magazinebrace and the kit-brace.

The magazine-brace is shown in Figure 1, and is composed of one main and two side straps. The main strap A is fifty-six inches total length from tip to tip when the ends are unbuckled. .Its neck or center part is six inches by two deep, and is shaped to fit the lower partof the back of the neck. The side straps B are three-fourths of an inch straps, each twenty inches long, and perforated at the free ends with six holes, each three-fourths inch apart.

In the center part of the main strap are two button-hole slits, a, five inches apart, for the iron loops of the kit-brace to pass through. External to this point themagazine-brace begins rapidly to decrease in width, until,at the distance of six inches more from the center, it becomes a threefourths inch strap, and continues so to the ends. Each of its ends is perforated with eight holes, three fourths of an inch apart; and at eleven inches from the tip of each end is a buckle, threefourths inch; also a side strap and buckle, 1) three inches in length on external edge, and two loops higher up one and one-half inch apart from each other and buckle. These are all easily attached -to main strap at the same time by means of a leather backing three inches long. When the ends-of the main strap are buckled up, as shown, they embrace two small hooks, c, to hook onto two brass eyes on the front of waistbelt O,'Fig. 5, four inches from center of belt. This magazine-brace is made of four pieces, joined strongly at thecenter with an extra backing of leather. It rests on the kit-bracc behind the neck, and on the shoulders, and hooks onto waist-belt hooks in front, while I) and B .buckle together at each side of chest after the latter have passed through loops of great-coat or magazinebag.

The kit-brace D, (shown in Fig. 2,) is fortyeight inches long in its greatest lengththat is, from tip to tip of strap when in fully extended state. It is a strong bridle-leather curvilinear strap, with a broad center part twenty-four inches by two deep, cut away behind toward each extremity of this semicircular part for four inches in extent to fit front of shoulders, as seen at d. It then becomes cord-shaped for four inches, and for the remaining eight (leather) inches at each end it assumes the dimensions of a One-inch strap. These last eight inches, at each end, loop'up and buckle on themselyes, and inclose in each loop an iron, D, to which the hooks or magazine-bag, kit-bag, or coat-yoke can be attached as required. Each of these loops is perforated with live holes, one inch apart, for the purpose of lengthening or shortening this kitbrace by means of buckles attached. Toward the center of thebroad semicircular part of this brace are two strong iron loops or eyes,

0, five inches apart. They must be exactly two-and-a-half inches from the center point of the brace. They pass through the brace from beneath, where they are firmly fixed by means of strong iron stays, which are covered with leather. This brace is made all in one piece, while the magazine brace is, as I have mentioned, composed of four separate pieces of leather, for the sake of economy. When those two braces are worn together, as is usual, the iron loops 0 of the kit brace are passed through the holes a in the magazine-brace, and all is then ready for use, and appears as shown in Fig. 3. When on the soldier, they present the appearance shown in Figs. 4 and 5. It will there be seen that the center parts of the two braces, firmly connected together, rest on the center of the lower part of the back of the neck. The kit-brace and the main strap of the magazine-brace pass together over and in front of the shoulders, where they separate, the latter extending downward to hook onto the front of the waistbelt, the former extending backward between the body and arms and along the sides well below the axillae, its rear ends receiving the hooks of the kit-bag, magazine-bag, or coatyoke, as the case may be. The two back-straps of the magazine-brace pass down over back of shoulders and forward along the sides of chest and buckle onto the main strap of the brace at b, where the buckles can be easily reached by the hand.

When the magazine-bag, coat-yoke, orother bag is carried on the shoulders, the backstraps B, before buckling at I), pass through loops on the adjacent face of the bag, and thus steady it in position, the bag being held both by this means and by its hooks, which engage the loops or eyes 6.

The next things to be noticed are the two bagsthe magazine-bag, Fig. 6, (rear view,)

and kitbag, Fig. 7, (front view,) which resemble each other'in every respect, (and can therefore be made on the same machinery,) except that the latter is one inch deeper than the former, and the books of the former (magazine-bag) move from side to side, while those of the kit-bag may be stationary. They are simple, strong, canvas water-proof bags, having a thick strong leather backing. They are encircled by two strong bridle-leather one-inch straps, f. each of which is thirty-five inches long, and are free in front, with one-inch buckle attached to lower end, while their center p'a-rt is sewed firmly onto the back of the leather backing of bag at thedistance ofseven inches from center to center of each strap, leaving, however, two interspaces unsewed to form loops 9 obliquely for the back-straps of the magazine-brace to pass through to'stcady bag on back. These loops are not needed on the kit-bag, inasmuch as the latter is not designed to be carried on the shoulders. The formation of this leather backing, and the sewing on of. these straps on back, and also hooks, and a leather loop, h, at its center, for the waist-belt to pass through, is the firststep in the construction of each bag and at the same time the straps are sewed onto this backing three pockets are formed of strong loose canvas'in the interior of each of the bags. The center pocket will contain eighty rounds of ammunition the (side pockets will contain each from ten to twenty rounds.

The front wall of each bagnine inches deep for the magazine-bag and ten inches deep for the kit-bag-has a length of twelve inches at the top and fourteen inches at the bottom. The side pieces that unite the front wall with the backing are three inches at top and four inches at bottom. On the exterior of the front wall of each bag are two loose pockets, '5, five anda half inches wide, and four inches deep. They are situated near the lower external corner of each bag, and open obliquely upward and outward, and are for the purpose of holding each ten rounds of ammunition. Immediately above each one is a half-inch strapand buckle, which buckles onto a short six-inch strap, extending from the back wall of the bag, to support the pocket when full. The cover or flap of each bag is fifteen by twelve inches.

A central strap, 70, designed principally to hold the mess-can, is provided for each bag, loops being formed on the bag cover or flap for the strap to pass through. The mouth of the bag is strengthened throughout its entire extent by means of a strong half-inch strap sewed all around, except where the two hooks work at the top of the magazine-bag. The books on the kit-bag are fixed and held firmly in position by the bag-straps, but those on the magazine-bag are capable of moving so as to increase or lessen the distance between them. This is effected by forming the magazine-hooks with rings, which are held in loops sewed onto the. backing of the bag at the same time the ordinary bag-straps are attached to it. Each book can thus move from side to side of the bag-strap, as desired. This will be seen by reference to Fig. 6, which is a rear view of the magazine-bag with the flap or cover uplifted.

The hooks 7c are represented in full lines in the position in which they most nearly approach one another, being here five inches apart, so that they may hook onto the eyes 6, hereinbefore referred to. They are shown in dotted lines moved farther apart-say, seven or eight inches apart-which is the position they occupy when the magazine-bag is car- 'ried, not on the, shoulders but by the iron Ds of the kit-brace. This latter position of the magazine-bag hooks is the position that is permanently occupied by the hooks on the kit-bag. In the flap or cover of the magazinebag are formed slits 6, through which the bagstraps can pass, so as to be under the cover instead of over them, this being desirable at times when the bag contains ammunitioinin which case, by passing the bag-straps through the slits and under the cover, the cover may be unfastened and raised and the bag opened without disturbing thdbag-straps, which will continue to support and uphold the contents of the bag.

This concludes the general description of the bags and braces. I shall now proceed to state their uses when the soldier wears the full set of acconterments. The magazine-bag is carried on the shoulders and the kit-bag on the loins, as heretofore specified, each being held at two points, the former by the eyes 6 and by the magazine-brace straps, which pass through the loops, and the latter by the iron.

Ds of "the kit-brace, and by the waist-belt,

which passes through the belt-loop. The kitbagis for the carriage of the kit, the canteen,

when-not required externally on waist-belt,

the soldiers bread or biscuit rations, and twenty rounds of ammunition in external pockets.

By this means the haversack is entirely done away with, the meat-ration being carried in, the mess-can. This bag is, in efiect, the soldiers clothes-box, which, during peacetime, is, as a rule, seldom used or needed, but allowed to remain in his barrack-room; and on the battle-field the soldier divests himself of it altogether, and leaves it, with the fieldkit it contains, at the base of supplies, either to be piled up, or to be removed in the supplywagons to a place of safety, while its owner is fighting. His number is on it, so that he can .be presently described,) it leaves this magazine'bag free to be used for all the purposes mentioned-to be used by the soldier on guard or on the field of action as a magazinebag in the very fullest sense of the term.

When the magazine-bag is to take the place of the kit-bag the accouterments are removed from the person, and both kit-bag and magazine-bag are taken ofi' from their braces. The braces, with the coat-yoke, (containing greatcoat and water-proof sheet,) occupying the former position of the magazine-bag, if so desired, are thenput on again. The waist-belt is passed through the belt-loop of the magazine-bag, and is also put on, andthen the iron Ds of the kit-brace are hooked onto the hooks of the magazine-bag, which hooks, toaccommodate them to this operation, have been shifted, as. above explained, so as to stand from seven to eightinches apart. When thus placed the ammunitionand rations can be easily got at, not only from the bag behind,

out the magazine-brace.

:loins.

but in front, as it can be unhooked in a 1110 ment and run around to theei soldiers right front on the waist-belt, where'the ammunition can be at once got at by unbucklin g only the.

center-strap, the other two straps remaining still buckled up for the support. of the contens of the bag. The frontstraps of the 1'nag-.

azine-brace support the belt and bag then, as well as retain the great-coat, mess-can, and

water-proof sheet on the soldiers shoulders at: the same time, and thus enable him to use theammunition in the magazine-bag while doubling. This magazine-bag, furthermore, has,

asbefo're said, strong canvas .pockets for the carriage, close to the body, of one hundred rounds of ammunition, and it can easily contain and carry forty or fifty more, in addition to the soldiers days rations of biscuit, which, with .the rounds the man carries in front of his body, amounts to about two hundred rounds for siege-operation purposes, a total of one hundred and fifty only being carried during actual field service, which can be done with great ease and facility, the actual weight carried then by the man being more than two pounds less than the English soldier has to bear when carrying seventy rounds of ammunition in his ordinary heavy marching order.

The next part of my accouterments is the coat-yoke, and consists of two straps and a center-piece, with two hooks attached. It is shown in Fig. 9. The two side straps m are three-fourths inch wide by thirty-two long, to encircle and suspend coat, and carry messcan or a water-proofsheet with great-coat, and they are connected together near their center by a strong cross-strap, n, two inches wide and six inches in length, and at the points of juncture are two small curb-chain books, 0,

from which the coat can be suspended either on the shoulders by the eyes 6 or on the loins by the iron Ds of the kit-brace. The device thus affords an easy means of transferring the coat from one point of carriage to the other. The great-coat is carried in this yoke so folded that it occupies a space'ten by fourteen by three inches deep. It weighs four and a half or five pounds.

Fig.14 represents the soldier fully accoutered. Fig. 15 represents him as he appears with the kit-bag removed, the coat-yoke taking the place of the magazine-bag on the shoulders, and the magazine-bag transferred from the shoulders to the loins.

The kit-brace can be worn, if desired, with- In this case the bag or coat-yoke will, of course, be carried on the For most purposes, however, the two braces conjoined will be used.

The magazine-brace, with slight change, can

be used for cavalry purposes. This is illustrated in Fig. 80f the drawings.

The cartridge-holders I here make-use of.

are Water-proof leather pouches, four in num-. ber, arranged in pairs, one pair on each side.

Each pouch P is four an. a half-byfive inches,

with collapsing sidesa (1 bottom, capable of containing aboutten rounds of ammunition. Each pair is ,ited by means of a strong leather backing ten inches'long. The upper free end of this backing tapers to one inch, and holds a one-inch buckle, to which is buckled the front or main strap of the magazine-brace. To the backingis also attached a side strap and buckle, b, to connect with. the back strap of the brace. 'On the lower part of the backing is a loop, through which the cavalry-sword belt passes. By the belt and the brace the pouches are thus retained and steadied in place, while the brace upholds them and the belt as well.

The pouches lie close against the person, and are not in a position to interfere with the sword or bridle arm. By a simple device the ammunition isprevented from accidentally falling out when the flap or cover of the pouch is unfastened. This device consists of a small piece of leather, sewed onto the front and side walls of each pouch at its mouth, leaving a segmental opening at the back for the extraction of the cartridges by means of the first finger and thumb.

The next thing to which I direct my attention is the mess-can strap. This is shown extended in Fig. 10. The mess-can itself, marked E, Fig. 11, is similar in general appearance and structure to that used by the English soldier, being somewhat smaller. The strap which binds up the mess-can is composed of crossed straps p 1'. The broadstrap p is twenty-two inches long, two inches wide at the center, and one-half inch at the ends.- Theother strap 1" isa half-inch strap, twenty inches in length. There are on the broad strap three loops, 8, for the mess-caustraps of the bags to pass through. There are also formed therein two button-hole slits, t, for projections 1; on the mess-can, to en gage,'when it is desired to suspend the mess-can below the great-coat on the coat-yoke straps. v

The strap in Fig. 10 is represented on the mess can'in the position it occupies when the mess-can is to be carried on one or'the other of the bags. In case of being suspended below the great-coat, its position on the messcan must be changed from thatshown in Fig. 11-to one in which the projections 11 may pass through the slits t.

The mess-can under this arrangement can be carried in no less than six different places on the accouterments.

-The canteen or water-bottle F, (shown in Fig. 12,) made of strong block-tin, is flat on one side and rounded on the other. A drinking-cup, w, fits over the bottle, and is retained in its place by a strong three-quarter-inch strap, X, which encircles the bottle lengthwise, and is retained on it by passing through two cross'loops on'the bottle. The canteen is slung on thewaist-belt by means of this strap, or when empty, and not required for use, may be carried in either the magazinethe canteen canbe readily and quickly attached to or detached from the waist-belt.

, The magazine-pouch G, (shown in Fig. 13,) is similar in shape and construction to the cavalry-pouches above described, being, however, considerably larger. It is carried on the waist-belt in front by means of a fourinch strong backstrap, loop, and button.

This strap y (indicated by dotted lines in Fig.

13) is firmly sewed to the top edge of the pouch behind, and has in its lower end a button-hole slit,to button onto a stud at the bottom of the rear face of the pouch. This strap is passed between the sol'diers belt and body in front, and is then buttoned down, the pouch then occupying the position shown in Fig. 5.

Having now described my improvements, I shall state my claims as follows:

1. The combination, substantially as described, of the magazine-brace and kit-brace, detachably connected, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the magazine-brace, the kit-brace, and the magazine-bag, the latter being transferable from the shoulders to the loins, and

adapted to be applied to either brace, as described.

3. The magazine-brace, consisting of the back-straps and the main strap provided at gage the braces substantiallyas shown and described.

6. The combination, substantially asset forth, of the waist-belt, the magazine-brace,

the kit-brace, magazine-bag, and the kit-bag, said parts being constructed and arranged' substantially as described.

7. A set ofaccouterments, comprising a kit-brace and bag, a magazine brace and bag,

a waist-belt, and a coat-yoke, adapted for use substantially as set forth.

8. The magazine-bag, provided with lat erally-shiftable hooks, substantially as set forth.

9. The'magazine-bag or the kit-bag, pro vided with hooks, a center strap adapted to hold down the flap or cover, side straps arranged to pass through slits in the flap, and

to support the contents of the bag when the flap is loosened, and otherwise constructed substantially as set forth.

10. The herein-described magazine-brace, combined with cavalry cartridge or ammunition pouches under the arrangement substautially as set forth. \p

11. The coat-yoke, constructed and provid- In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 28th day of August, A. D. 1876.

W. s. OLIVER, M. 1

Surgeon Major 60th Rifles.

Witnesses M. BAILEY, A. POLLOK. 

